Waive second reading and adopt ordinance amending Section 5-10.06 entitled "An Ordinance of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Regarding the Safe Storage of Non-Handgun Firearms in Unattended Vehicles" (No general fund impact) (Pinedo/Pogledich/May)

Waive second reading and adopt ordinance amending Section 5-10.06 entitled "An Ordinance of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Regarding the Safe Storage of Non-Handgun Firearms in Unattended Vehicles" (Attachment A)

In an effort to ensure that firearms are not used without the owner's permission or stolen, staff brought an ordinance regulating the safe storage of firearms in residences for a first reading to the July 26, 2022 Board of Supervisor's meeting. The ordinance was subsequently adopted at the September 13, 2022 meeting. Members of the Board asked staff to return with options for potentially regulating the storage of firearms within vehicles.  After discussion and outreach, staff prepared the proposed ordinance.

State law already governs the storage of handguns in vehicles.  Accordingly, the proposed ordinance is targeted only at non-handgun firearms, including rifles and shotguns. The ordinance requires that any non-handgun firearm stored in an unattended vehicle be in a locked container or tethered to the vehicle.  For vehicles with fewer than four wheels, the non-handgun firearm must be in a locked container that must be otherwise affixed or secured to the unattended vehicle.  In no event could non-handgun firearms be stored in unattended vehicles overnight.

At the November 8, 2022 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the Board voted unanimously to have the ordinance return for a second reading at the November 22, 2022 meeting, with no requests for modification.

Adoption of the ordinance would be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") under the common sense exemption (CEQA Guidelines 15061(b)(3)) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the ordinance would have a significant effect on the environment.

The County Administrator's Office performed outreach to the Yolo County Farm Bureau. The County Counsel's Office received feedback from the Sheriff's Office.